The One I Love Belongs to Somebody Else

PART 7. EPILOGUE

And just like that, I was on board the ship, heading to the United Kingdom once again. I still cannot believe it.

Last time I was on board a ship heading to London, the shadow of Anthony's death hung heavily over me.

But yet, the ship was moving farther and farther away from him, and it was on the ship where I embarked on a long new journey that ultimately brings me to the person I love the most.

Anthony, you must be watching over me, because I was on the ship again, with him by my side.

I felt like a shining road had opened before my eyes.

I was glad to have brought along the clothes that Archie gave me after all. Otherwise I would not be appropriately dressed for the first class section of a luxury liner. I must admit that Archie has very good taste. The dresses he gave me, although not ravishing like the ones I wore at Hillcrest, were very elegant and refined.

And on board the ship when Terry and I were together, sometimes people recognized him. They gave us curious looks and whispers.

He didn't pay attention to them though. The whole time, he never let go of my hand, as if he was afraid that he would lose me and never find me again if he let go.

The first night on the ship, we stood on the promenade deck looking out to the sea. It was a night full of fog, just like the night of New Year's Eve last time I set sailed for London. Behind me I could hear the loud music and gay laughter of people from the dining hall, where a festive welcome party was being held for the passengers.

I looked out to the immense darkness of the night in the ocean. So dark. Only flickers of starlight appeared once in a while when the fog split and created a brief opening in the sky.

Terry, his arm around me, enjoying the time we were having together away from the crowd.

"Look, Candy! This is like the night when we first met," he said to me.

I looked up at him, and saw that smile that I love so much.

Suddenly he looked away from the sea and turned to me, and said, "Let's get married here, tomorrow."

"Get married here? Tomorrow? Can we do that?" I laughed.

"The ship's Captain. He has the authority to officiate a wedding while at sea," he said, unable to contain the excitement in his voice. "What do you say? Let's do it?"

I looked at him. I could not contain my own joy either. "Are you sure?" I asked him.

"I don't want anything or anyone to ever come between us again." He said, in his strong voice with full conviction.

I nodded and smiled at him. Happily, he took me into his arms and kissed me deeply.

That evening, in his cabin, we talked for a long time about all the things that we remembered from our days at St. Paul's, and after we left there, how much we wanted to find each other again when we realized that we were both in America.

I told him about my adventure-filled journey back to America. At first, he laughed out loud, listening to my story. But then his expression suddenly turned serious, and he took me into his arms and held me tightly. "Luckily, you were safe," he said.

We talked into the late hours of the night, until I finally said to him that it was time for me to return to my cabin. We walked to the door, and before I left, he took me into his arms again and kissed me. His kiss was so full of longing, and mine was too.

And then we both knew, in that instant, that things would never be the same for us again.

We wanted to take each other to a place where we'd never been to before.